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Lightning strike kills nine cows in Ireland

Weather warnings have been issued for most of Ireland amid risk of flooding and hailstorms.

Holstein cows in the pasture with copy space in blue AG百家乐在线官网
Image: It is not the first time that cows have been killed by lightning in recent years. File pic
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Nine cows on a farm in Ireland have been killed after they were struck by lightning during a heavy storm.

The cattle were caught up in torrential weather in Dunlicky, County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.

The country's weather service has issued alerts for large parts of Ireland, warning of widespread hail and flooding.

The cows were struck near a coastal road in the west of Ireland
Image: The cows were struck near a coastal road in Dunlicky, County Clare

According to Irish media reports, passers-by saw the cows in the field on the Dunlicky Road cliff drive, with their "legs in the air" after several claps on thunder.

One witness told the Irish Examiner: "Just after we passed Dunlicky Castle we saw the cows in the field.

"There were a few cars and men in there as well. I think it was nine milking cows we counted."

It is not clear who the owners of the cows are.

It is not the first time that cows have been killed by lightning in recent years, with eight being struck during a storm in August last year near Tipperary.